On Saturday, friends, allies, and alumni gathered to mark the 10-year anniversary of the Modjeska Simkins School, launched in 2015 to teach civics, organizing skills, and a people’s history of South Carolina. The school has not only survived but thrived, a tremendous feat for an under-funded nonprofit doing the Lord’s work in the belly of the beast. Considering the odds, it is something of a miracle.

So it should come as no surprise that the spirit of Modjeska Moneith Simkins was in the house on Saturday to celebrate the school that bears her name. She was no doubt watching to see if we have learned anything from her — about staying fearless and steadfast in the face of oppression, about claiming a seat at the table you’re not invited to, about understanding the strength of mass action and a united front, but also the power of a single person.

“Modjeska would have loved tonight,” said Brett Bursey, Simkins’ mentee and executive director of the SC Progressive Network, which created the school to teach students of all ages and backgrounds skills to be effective citizens and strategic community activists.

“Our school mirrors the leadership institute that she started in the ‘40s,” he said. “She would be gratified to know that her example continues to inform and inspire generations of South Carolinians.”

Columbia’s historic Big Apple was packed for the gala, which was attended by a handsome crowd of writers, activists, teachers, historians, graduates of the program, and esteemed guests, including Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann.

“I think it’s exciting to celebrate 10 years,” the mayor said. “I hope we can work together in the future, and that our collaborations continue to grow to keep and preserve this history.” (See his full remarks HERE.)

Dr. Robert Greene II, who teaches history at Claflin University and has served as the Modjeska School’s lead instructor since 2019, said, “It is a mistake to think of South Carolina as merely contributing bad ideas, bad men, and bad moments to history. Yes, we are the only state that began as a colony founded for the express purpose of slavery. But we are also a state that contains a rich history of radicalism and fighting for social justice. For every Ben Tillman we have produced, we have also produced a Septima Clark. For every Wade Hampton III, we have a Robert Smalls. And for every James Byrnes, we have a Modjeska Simkins. 

“Like so many other heroes and heroines of the struggle for freedom in South Carolina history, Ms. Simkins is a hidden diamond in the rough of misunderstood Palmetto State history. She was involved in the battle for civil rights; the crusade for free speech during the Cold War; the anti-war movement during the Vietnam War; the environmental movement; and the fight for a world free of nuclear weapons. If it involved freedom, she was there. If the battle was to be joined against the worst of hyper-capitalism, racism, and imperialism, she could be found on the firing line.”

As a professor at an HBCU, Dr. Greene knows better than most what is at stake in these perilous times. The Modjeska Simkins School’s role is more critical now than it was 10 years ago. Today, we are watching the unabashed assault on public education, the growing incidence of book bans and whitewashed history, and the fear and frustration of school teachers whose curriculums are increasingly being managed by corporate and religious interests. The political climate is so extreme that teaching true history is becoming not just unpopular, but illegal.

“The Modjeska Simkins School matters more now than ever,” said Nichel Dunlap-Thompson, who graduated from the school last spring. “You all see the attempts they are making to put chains around our necks. The Modjeska School is the breath of air needed for the history of this state to remain alive and presented properly and accurately.” (Watch her full remarks HERE.)

Nikky Finney was on hand for the occasion to share a few words about the school and to read a poem. She had just come from a memorial to mark a year since the passing of our mutual friend Marjorie Hammock, who served many years on the board of the SC Progressive Network and repeated the Modjeska School seven times. Finney asked that everyone say her name aloud, and for a moment the room echoed with a resounding MARJORIE! (Listen to Finney’s comments and poem HERE.)

The evening included recognition of Optus Bank, the latest iteration of Victory Savings, which was started Monteith family in 1921. Simkins worked there for many years, and met Bursey when he opened an account there for the Grass Roots Organizing Workshop. Optus’ marketing and communications manager Tereacy Pearson accepted a certificate of appreciation from the school for the bank’s support.

Dianna Freelon-Foster, chair of the Southern Partners Fund, sent words of encouragement from Mississippi. She said she learned about the school through fellow SPF board member Bursey, and her message underscored the importance of cultivating regional allies and teaching our shared history. “Without the undergirding of institutions like the Modjeska Simkins School that builds leaders armed with knowledge ready to do battle strategically and tactically,” she warned “many of our children and children’s children will suffer and pay a price. This requires serious study while simultaneously working to dismantle and rebuild local, state, and federal structures. The Modjeska Simkins School offers this as we move forward.”

Graduate Gabbi Zurlo, now on staff at the Network, said the school teaches “seeing our privilege, seeing outside ourselves to the long game, seeing that our comfort is never worth more than someone else’s dignity and human rights.” (See her full remarks HERE.)

SCPNEF board member Cecil Cahoon is an education expert and advocate. He said his work “has given me a perspective on the Network and the Modjeska School — an understanding of how unique they are, not only in the South but across the country.”

“The work started by people we never knew has passed through many hands over many generations and now is in ours. It’s an obligation, a commitment to do the work, to grow this connective tissue that now includes you — and the people you draw into it.

“You’re part of the muscle that goes all the way back to Robert Smalls and the Reconstruction legislature who established the promise of democracy in our state Constitution, where it had not existed before; through Modjeska Simkins and dozens of people like her that she trained; to all of the Modjeska alumni.”

“The work I’ve done in the South, and with educators’ allies in other organizations and communities — has grounded me, out of necessity, in principles of movement-building, principles of citizenship in action, principles of participatory democracy — the kind of democracy that’s available to everyone. Principles of movement-building, of citizenship in action, and of participatory democracy, are the bedrock and guiding principles of the Progressive Network and the Modjeska School. The lessons we teach all come down to the principle of practicing what we preach, and leading people to understand their power in a real democracy.

“That is heavy work. But it is worth investing in.”

Indeed it is.

The Network and the school are grateful to everyone who made the gala a night to remember. We thank the speakers and graduates for their testimonials, our hard-working staff and volunteers, chef Joe Turkaly for a beautiful and delicious spread, Big Apple owner Richard Durlach and his partner Breedlove for the dance demo and for being such a gracious hosts.

Big thanks to GROW’s house band, Justus, for bringing The Big Apple alive. They are: Ken Cheeks, Sara Williams, Joe Gourley, Chris Gardner, and Dionne Marie Preussner. You can see them every 1st and 3rd Thursday 8–10pm at GROW, 1340 Elmwood Ave. For a taste, check them out on GROW’s YouTube playlist.

For more photos, see our Photo Album.

To support the school with a donation of any amount, click HERE or call the Network’s office at 803-354-6460. Contributions provide scholarship support for students and help cover travel costs for guest presenters.

If you are interested in attending the next session of the school, which begins March 1 and runs through June, you can find details and apply HERE.